I enjoy racing and try to make it a point to participate in at least 2 to 3 races a month. Though a majority of these races are run on the road, I occasionally like to come out of my comfort zone and give myself a chance to get down and dirty by joining a few trail runs. I believe a nice dose of trail running is good for the soul; an opportunity to savor the great outdoors, take in the fresh clean air and absorb a natural dose of vitamin K from the sun. Being 51 (and still recovering from a leg injury), I do have to be careful in the trail races I choose to join to prevent any unfortunate mishaps. In addition, it also helps to join races organized by reputable race organizers like Judith Staples of Soleus Philippines and Race Director Jonel Mendoza of Front Runner Magazine. With that in mind, I did not hesitate to sign up for the Soleus Valley Trail 15 km Challenge at Nuvali.
Gun start was at 5 am for the 15 km race which wasn't so dark on the trail and still allowed me some visibility as to where I was going and/or stepping on. The trail route wasn't as muddy and I love the combination of the steep hills going up and down. I did have to tackle a bridge crossing and getting down on my hands and knees to go under a fallen tree ( with a little help from my fellow runners ). It's not unusual for runners to get lost during a trail run and as luck would have it, I did lose my way 3 times... but was able to correct myself and head back in the right direction. The few times I had to run on flat road helped to get the mud off the shoe and stretch the legs.
When I finally crossed the finish line, my watch indicated a mileage of 16. 07 kms. That's approximately an excess of 1.07 km more but that's all cool with me. All in all, it was a good race, a great experience and I had a lot of fun. On a side note, I did check the finisher's standing and I think I finished at the top 20! Not bad for a old fogey like me.
Thank you again to Josh Arnold - Soleus Running Sales Director, Aimer Reed - Soleus Brand Director. Judith Staples - Soleus Philippines and Jonel Mendoza - Race Director.
Excellent race and I'm definitely going to do it again next year!
.JPG)
When I finally crossed the finish line, my watch indicated a mileage of 16. 07 kms. That's approximately an excess of 1.07 km more but that's all cool with me. All in all, it was a good race, a great experience and I had a lot of fun. On a side note, I did check the finisher's standing and I think I finished at the top 20! Not bad for a old fogey like me.
Thank you again to Josh Arnold - Soleus Running Sales Director, Aimer Reed - Soleus Brand Director. Judith Staples - Soleus Philippines and Jonel Mendoza - Race Director.
Excellent race and I'm definitely going to do it again next year!
Judith Staples - Soleus Philippines,Josh Arnold - Soleus Running Sales Director, Aimer Reed - Soleus Brand Director. and Jonel Mendoza - Race Director.
Champion Runner - Roel A.
Goof Friend - Mars Callo
Thanks Asics for the excellent Trail Shoes
